Ilya Protas Named Upper Deck/AHL Rookie of the Month for April

April 20, 2026

The American Hockey League announced today that Hershey Bears forward Ilya Protas has been named the Upper Deck/AHL Rookie of the Month for April.

Protas, 19, paced the Bears and led all AHL rookies in April with 11 points (2g, 9a) in six games, while his nine assists tied for the league lead for the month. Protas notably recorded a goal and five assists in Hershey's 8-1 win at Hartford on April 4, marking the first six-point game by a Bears player since Mathieu Perreault recorded six assists on Nov. 14, 2010 vs. Binghamton, and the first by an AHL player since Alan Quine (3g, 3a) for Stockton at San Jose on Dec. 27, 2019.

Protas' April was also highlighted by recording an assist in his NHL debut with the Washington Capitals at Toronto on April 8, becoming the 71st Bears player to make his major league premiere with the Capitals since Hershey and Washington entered into an affiliation agreement prior to the 2005-06 season. Protas appeared in four games with the Capitals, contributing four points (1g, 3a) before being loaned back to Hershey.

Protas concluded the campaign by leading all rookies and tying for sixth overall in league scoring with 66 points (29g, 37a) in 69 games. Among his fellow rookies, Protas also finished second in goals and assists, tied for eighth in plus-minus (+17), second in power-play goals (11), and first in points per game among players with at least 48 games played (.96). The native of Vitebsk, Belarus was also named to the 2025-26 AHL All-Rookie Team and represented the Bears at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford, Illinois in February.

Protas is the fifth Bears player to receive AHL Rookie of the Month honors and the first since Ethen Frank (Jan. 2023).

The 6'6", 225-pound center was Washington's third-round selection (75th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft and he is in the first year of a three-year, entry-level NHL contract signed with the Capitals on July 6, 2024.